Inhospitable Hospitality

Be hospitable to one another without complaining. —1 Peter 4:9

I like to think of hospitality as providing a soft place to land in a world that’s often hard to take. There are lots of Bible verses that encourage us to practice hospitality. But let’s get real. Those cookies don’t bake themselves. Guests upset routines. Parties and dinners take a lot of time, money, and effort on our part.

As I seek to be hospitable toward others, I’ve found that I tend to be inhospitable toward my own family. I bark out orders. I sigh heavily under the false sense that I’m the only one doing work. I grumble about the money spent, the time invested, the floors that need swept (again!).

Yet when I make my home an inhospitable environment for those I love most in order to make it welcoming for others, I’m missing God’s heart for hospitality.

Yes, invite people over to your home. Yes, seek to provide warm meals and warm fuzzies. Yes, create a soft spot for others to land. But do it without grumbling. Because a peaceful home flows out of a peaceful heart.

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“Inhospitable Hospitality” (ReviveOurHearts.com/blog)

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible ®. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible ® and CSB ® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.